The world’s largest airline pilot union, the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), is now leading the charge in sky-high wokeness. They’ve proposed banning terms like “cockpit” and “manpower” to create a so-called “inclusive” environment for women and LGBTQ+ individuals in aviation. Apparently, your vocabulary matters more than your ability to fly a plane.

 

Flying High on Inclusivity
Representing over 70,000 pilots globally, ALPA has teamed up with a United Nations agency to craft a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) language guide. This guide, released in 2021, lists terms and phrases deemed non-inclusive, focusing on “masculine generalizations.” For instance, “cockpit” is to be replaced with “flight deck” because the former could supposedly exclude women. Oh, the horror!

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Let’s dive into the real history of “cockpit.” According to linguist Ben Zimmer, the term originated from 16th-century cockfighting in England, referring to a circular pit where gamecocks fought. By the 18th century, it described a tense and noisy area on British warships where surgeons treated the wounded. Eventually, it made its way into aviation. But hey, why let facts get in the way of a good DEI agenda?

It’s been easy to see the push for D.E.I. in the airline industry. Searches on social media contain a plethora of evidence that more emphasis is put on words than training:

 

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Rewriting Reality for Inclusivity
ALPA’s guide also advises against using “manpower,” suggesting alternatives like “human power” or “people power.” Nothing says “qualified pilot,” like tiptoeing around potentially offensive language. They also want to replace “guys” with terms like “everyone” to avoid excluding anyone. And don’t even think about saying “mother” or “father” — that might alienate “different family structures.”

Meanwhile, in the real world, experts like former FAA safety team representative Kyle Bailey argue that diversity has little to do with safe travel. “It’s basically all a matter of flight time, your credentials, your background, how much flight experience you have, and also your training,” Bailey told Fox News Digital. But who needs safety when you’ve got inclusion, right? Take a look at the document, released in 2021, that outlines the D.E.I. workplace ideals:

ALPA Inclusive Guid by Red Voice News on Scribd

Safety Takes a Back Seat
Recently, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testified before a U.S. Senate panel amid growing concerns about the company’s safety practices, following several alarming incidents, including a door panel blowout on a 737 MAX 9. During the hearing, senators criticized Boeing for prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives over fundamental safety measures. Despite Boeing’s commitment to overhauling its safety culture, the focus on DEI has been perceived as overshadowing critical safety and quality controls, contributing to recent malfunctions and near-disasters. Boeing’s DEI approach is not a surprise, as they have previously posted on X bragging about their focus on the sexual preference of their employees since 1989:

 

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So, while ALPA’s push for inclusive language might make some feel warm and fuzzy inside, the aviation industry must remember that real safety comes from rigorous training and experience, not from policing words. After all, when you’re cruising at 35,000 feet, do you really care what the pilot calls the cockpit?

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